Back For You
by ridiculouslyoptimistic
Summary: Ally doesn't go with Austin on tour and after 3 months away, he's finally coming home to the girl of his dreams. Auslly. A two-shot.
1. Baby, You Don't Have To Worry

If Ally's not going on tour with Austin, this is how I imagine the goodbye and reunion. Reviews make me happy! :)

* * *

She's become quite the expert at faking smiles.

Not that all of them were fake. She is genuinely happy for Austin. Ecstatic, even. No, her problem lies in the fact that she would soon have to break the news that she would not be going with him on tour.

However, now is not the right time. Despite the fact that her heart is heavy, as she watches him be congratulated and fawned over by his friends and family, she can't help but feel anything but utter pride and joy and she doesn't want ruin the mood of the night with her revelation.

Tomorrow he would leave for the first leg of his world tour and up until a few hours ago, she was all set to go with him. But that was before she realized that she wasn't ready for this dream; at least not yet.

There was no doubt that now that she'd overcome her stage fright she wanted a career in the music industry. It's just that she isn't quite ready to leave her family. Besides, she wants to finish school before she drops everything to tour the world. She's made her decision.

Now all that is left is to tell Austin.

She takes his current distraction as an opportunity to slip away from the crowd and up to the practice room. As always, she did her best thinking at the piano and she still isn't quite sure what to say.

Tinkering with the keys, she plays a slow, soulful melody, humming softly to herself as lyrics popped into her mind. It seems that it was always easier to express herself through song. As she sings the words to herself, she wonders if she'll have the courage to say them to the person who matters the most.

Truth be told, it isn't telling Austin that she isn't going with him that frightened her; she knew he would understand. It's that she does't know how to tell him that she's going to miss him desperately. Though, she's sure he already knows.

Their relationship had never quite been the same since they agreed to stop dating. She's still glad they made that decision, but ever since the mutual break up, there has been a lingering tension between them, mostly likely because, deep down, they still want to be more than friends.

Unfortunately, making such a declaration just before he is about to leave for three months seems a little unfair. So she decides to just wish him the best, because that's all she really wants for him: extreme and unlimited happiness.

As she plays the new melody, she closes her eyes to absorb the music, but they shoot open when she feels someone watching. Turning slowly, she lets out a sigh of relief at the sight of Austin leaning against the doorway.

"You scared me," she smiles, turning on the piano bench.

He pushes himself off the doorframe and slides onto the bench beside her, settling into his usual spot. His fingers brush over the keys, and soon he's mimicking the melody she had been playing moments before.

She smiles and shakes her head, wondering how it was that they fit each other so completely.

"What are you doing up here?" he asks quietly, his tone slightly nervous.

"Just thinking," she replies, not entirely sure how to begin the inevitable conversation. Deciding it was better to just spit it out, she takes a deep breath. "Look, Austin, I need to tell you something."

"I know," he cuts her off before she could continue, one side of his mouth lifting into a half smile. "I know you're not coming with me."

It takes her by surprise that he seems alarmingly content with her decision. Furrowing her eyebrows she, tilts her head slightly to the side before replying cautiously. "You're not upset?"

He shrugs, his fingers lingering over the keys before he folds his hands in his lap and turns to face her. Although his lips are turned upwards in a smile, his eyes are flooded with pain and it makes her heart ache at the sight.

"I'll admit I'm a little sad," he says softly, "This was supposed to be an adventure we went on together, Ally."

She sighs, placing her hand gently atop his and shooting him an encouraging smile. "I know and I'm sorry. But it's still going to be an adventure. And I'll be with you in spirit the entire time. I'll follow all of your fansites so I know all of the details of the tour and we'll keep in touch. Then you'll be back before you know it and we can start working on your next album."

A light laugh escapes his lips and she lets out a sigh of relief to see that the pain in his eyes has disappeared.

"Sounds like a plan," he smiles. He hesitates, chewing on his bottom lip for a moment. "I understand why you're doing it, you know. I understand why you're not coming."

"You do?" she smiles softly.

He nods and squeezes her hand. "I do." He raises his gaze to look her directly in the eyes. "I'm just going to miss you a lot."

"I'll miss you too," she whispers, unconsciously, or maybe purposefully, scooting closer to him on the bench.

He takes note of her movement and grins, letting go of her hands to wrap his arms around her waist and pull her into his chest. She hums contently as she rests her head against his shoulder and enjoys the warmth of his embrace, wishing she could freeze time and stay in this moment forever.

A light kiss is pressed to the top of her head and she blushes slightly against his shirt as she raises her eyes to look at him, her heart falling slightly when she finds him completely unaffected by his previous action. Deciding it was best to pretend the gesture was unnoticed, she smiles sweetly when he drops his arms and stands from the bench.

"I should probably get back to the party," he points his thumb towards the door.

She nods and stands as well, with every intention to rejoin the other guests, but she finds herself calling out his name before he can walk out the door.

"Austin."

He turns on his heel and raises an eyebrow in surprise. "Yes?"

She isn't entirely sure what's come over her, but she vocalizes a thought which has been bothering her since she had first learned of the tour.

"Be careful on the road, ok," she says, "Your fans are amazing and passionate and they love you, but some of those girls can get a little crazy."

His eyes are narrowed in confusion for a moment as he nods before his face lights with an epiphany and she resists the urge to roll her eyes because she can tell his ego has just doubled in size.

"Are you jealous?" he asks smugly, his eyes twinkling and lips twisting into a smirk.

"No," she scoffs immediately, partly because it's the most natural response, but mostly because she understands that she has absolutely no right to feel that way in the first place.

He laughs lightly and steps toward her. Grabbing her hands, he laces their fingers together and squeezes tightly. "Ally, you have nothing to be jealous of."

"I know," she sighs, staring in amazement at the way his hand completely engulfs hers, "I'm not allowed to be jealous. We're not dating anymore. You can do what you like."

"Allowed to be?" he replies, smiling softly, "Ally, if anyone is allowed to be jealous, it's you. In fact, you're the only one who's allowed to be jealous. But that doesn't mean you have any reason to be."

"I don't understand," she furrowed her brows in confusion. Despite the fact that she genuinely has no idea what he's talking about, her heart begins to beat just a little bit faster because she can sense that this moment is important.

"Ally," he says, pulling her closer and keeping their gazes locked, "I know we're not together right now, but I have every intention for us to be together in the future."

"You do?" she whispers, her eyes widening in awe.

He nods, his smile growing. "I meant what I said: I want to be with you. I _only _want to be with you. So you don't have to worry about the girls while I'm on tour, because you're the only one I want."

If possible, her eyes widen even more and her breath catches in her throat as her heart begins to race. She's having a hard time believing this is happening in real life. In her dreams, this moment had occurred countless times, but this was real: Austin was actually standing there, gazing at her with those gorgeous adoring eyes, and telling her that he wanted them to be together.

"So what do you think?" he asks nervously, prompting her on because she's just been staring at him in wonder.

And she realizes he already knows the answer to his question and there's nothing else to say, so she grabs the lapels of his leather jacket, pulls him into her body, and kisses him. It's sweet and tender and comforting; everything she remembers from the last one and when he wraps his arms around her waist and pulls her closer, she forgets her surroundings entirely.

They're both smiling idiotically when they pull apart, wondering why they ever thought they could make it alone in the first place.

"What now?" she whispers against his lips, because although the kiss had been every bit as magical as she'd hoped, they still needed to face reality. In less than 12 hours, Austin would be getting on a plane and leaving for three months. "You're leaving tomorrow."

"I know," he sighs, resting his forehead against hers, "But I'll be back in three months, and we can pick up right here."

"So you want me to wait for you," she says, staring him down, although she's already decided what to do.

"I could never ask you to do that," he shakes head.

"But I want you to."

He seems taken aback by her response and he sends her a hard stare before realizing her words are genuine and kissing her softly on the lips, his own mouth lifted into a smile.

"That's amazing!" he grins when he pulls away.

"So," she purses her lips and hesitates for a moment, "What exactly does that mean?"

"It means that I'll call you every day, probably twice a day and when they ask whether or not I'm single, I get to say no," he says, his smile growing with each word.

"Sounds good to me," she laughs, standing on her toes to press another short kiss to his lips because she still can't quite believe that she gets to do so whenever she wants.

They stand there for a moment, swaying in content silence before Austin drops his arms from her waist and sends her a small smile, his features lighting as though he'd had a breakthrough.

"I want to give you something," he explains, raising his hands to tug on the chain that always lay around his neck and pulling the guitar pick pendant from beneath his shirt. The pick was the one he'd used the night they wrote their first song together. He'd kept it as a reminder of the day their partnership began, but it had turned into somewhat of a good luck charm.

Her eyes widen as she watches him pull the chain over his head and hold it up in front of her and she shakes her head when she realizes why.

"Austin, you can't," she protests, holding up a hand, "It's your good luck charm."

He smiles softly and slips the chain over her head, watching as the pendant falls to lie on her chest.

"I guess you'll have to be my good luck charm now."

"But I won't be with you," she says softly, rubbing her fingers over the smooth black plastic.

He shrugs. "I'll be thinking about you all the time, though. You know you're always on my mind."

A blush tints her cheeks at his sweet words and she laughs lightly. "I know. It's the same for me."

Her favorite smile lights his face; the one where his eyes squint slightly and his gaze is so direct that for a moment she feels as though she and Austin are the only two people in the universe. He stares at her for a moment before a sadness floods his eyes and he bites his bottom lip.

"Will you do me a favor?" he asks softly.

She nods and breathes. "Of course. Anything."

"Don't come to the airport tomorrow."

"Why not?" she asks, wondering why he wouldn't want to see her before he left.

He sighs and runs a hand through his hair, but it falls back perfectly across his forehead and she presses her lips together to hold in laughter at the fact that it always looked incredible.

"It's just," he hesitates, "You know I'm going to miss you like crazy. And going on this tour without you is going to be hard enough without seeing you at the gate, waving goodbye."

Although she's slightly hurt, she nods in understanding because she feels the same way. Watching him walk away would be heartbreaking. It was better to say goodbye here, in private, where she could do it properly.

His name being screamed by his mother, announcing that it's time for them to leave interrupts their moment. He yells back that he'll be down in a moment before turning his attention back to her.

"So, then, this is it," she says sadly, looking up at him wide eyed and taking a step closer, wanting to feel his warmth.

He immediately wraps her in a hug, burying his face in the crook of his neck. She melts into the embrace, memorizing the feel of his arms around and the comfort of his scent. For one perfect moment, all that existed in the world was just them: Austin and Ally, and she wanted to engrain the memory into her mind forever.

Closing her eyes, she gives him one last tight squeeze before leaning back to glimpse his face once more. He presses a kiss to the top of her head and then to her cheek before finally kissing her lips and making her feel utterly complete. She holds him close as he presses multiple pecks to her lips but feels instantly lonely when he drops his arms and takes a step backwards.

"I would never let you go otherwise," he says to explain his sudden departure.

She nods in understanding and forces a smile to her lips, although she's blinking back tears. "Don't forget me."

"I couldn't if I tried," he says seriously. "I'll miss you."

"Me too," she whispers, "But it's going to be amazing. You're going to be amazing."

He nods and stretches his lips into a small, sad smile before raising his hand in a wave. "Goodbye, Ally."

"Goodbye, Austin," she replies, holding his gaze for one more meaningful glance before watching him walk out the door.

She rushes to the railing once she's sure he's down the stairs and stares at the back of his head as he walks towards the front door. Once he reaches the entrance, he turns and waves once more before following his parents out into the night.

She whispers goodbye to his retreating back, finally allowing the tears to fall and clutching his necklace against her chest. It's the only thing holding her together, seeing as he's taken her heart.


	2. I'll Be Coming Back

How I imagine Austin and Ally's reunion when he comes home from tour.

* * *

"Thank you, New York!" he yells to the crowd, bowing dramatically. "You guys have been incredible and this was the perfect way to end my first world tour."

Grinning, he brings his fingers to his lips and blows the audience a kiss as the stage lights dim. Once surrounded by darkness, he runs of stage, smiling widely at his best friend, who stood waiting on the side.

"That was great, man," Dez says, patting Austin on the back.

"Thanks," Austin sighs, his veins still buzzing from the adrenaline rush performing always gave him. "I think this might have been my best show."

"I agree," Dez replies.

Austin nods, pulling the strap of his guitar over his shoulder and placing it carefully in the nearest open case.

"So now what?" he hears Dez say from behind.

Austin turns his head to smile up at his friend. "Now we go home."

After three months on the road, it's finally time to return to Miami and he feels as though he's been away for a lifetime. But maybe that's just because, in the back of his mind, he knows that in his favorite music store in the mall waits his favorite songwriter.

He stares out the plane window the entire flight back to Miami, dreaming up every possible scenario of how his reunion with Ally could play out. They talked every day while he was away, sometimes even multiple times a day, but text messages and video dates were no substitute for seeing her face to face.

He missed everything about her.

The sweet scent of her hair when it fell down her cheek as she stared at her fingers while she played the piano.

The way her petite frame seemed to fit so perfectly between his arms.

The tinkling sound of her laugh that left him feeling as though he was floating on air.

But most of all, he missed just being near her. Because for some inexplicable reason, whenever they were in the same room, he felt oddly safe and satisfied, as though nothing could ever again be wrong with the world.

The captain announces that it's time to land and he blinks as he stares in amazement at the city lights. It seems now that he's finally allowed himself to think about her fully, she's become all consuming. There was no denying that she was always on his mind, but while he was on tour he'd pushed his feeling of sadness to the back of his brain in order to give more positive performances. Now that he no longer had to worry about pleasing a crowd, those emotions come flooding back.

Now just the thought that he's thirty minutes away from seeing her again is causing his heart to pound like never before. He and Dez grab their bags and hail a taxi once they reach the street and with every mile he gets closer to her, he feels his heart beat a little faster.

Thanks to extremely little traffic, they arrive at the mall less than twenty minutes later. Dez claims he's tired and says he'll say hi to Ally tomorrow, but Austin knows that his best friend is just making excuses so Austin can be alone with his girl. And he fully appreciates their understanding.

Breathing deeply, Austin pushes open the doors of Sonic Boom to find it surprisingly empty. Confused and somewhat disappointed, he digs his phone out of the pocket of his jeans, figuring he should call Ally. He assumed she would be here, but then again, it was always a possibility that she had gone home early.

But that didn't make sense. Wouldn't she want to see him?

After three months, he can hardly contain his excitement and it's as though she hasn't even noticed that he was gone. With a heavy heart, he finds her name in his contact list and turns towards the door, but is stopped when a familiar, angelic voice calls out from behind.

"Leaving so soon?"

He turns, instantly grinning when he sees her standing at the top of the stairs, leaning against the railing as she smiles widely down at him.

"Ally!" he says excitedly, hurrying towards the stairs, "I thought you weren't here."

"Where else would I be?" she asks, pushing herself off the railing to stand up straight.

Chuckling, he runs up the stairs two at a time and pulls her into a tight hug before she can say anything. He sighs contently when she squeezes his middle and he buries his face in her hair. She smells exactly how he remembers: sweet like cotton candy, and as she sinks into his arms he's reminded of how perfectly they fit together. Pieces of a puzzle. It's like they were specifically designed for each other.

She laughs as she leans away and it vibrates through his chest, making him feel as though he's flying.

"You missed me," she says matter of factly.

He can't disagree, so he leans down and kisses her firmly, savoring the taste of her lips and wondering how he possibly went so long without feeling them on his. They're both breathless and he's slightly dizzy when they pull apart, grinning at each other.

"I missed you, too," she whispers sincerely.

He smiles at her softly, soaking in her presence and trying to wrap his mind around the fact that she's actually in his arms and that she's actually his.

"Come on," she says, shooting him a secretive smile, "I have a surprise for you."

She grabs his hand and pulls him towards the practice room and he gasps as he enters. She's set up a picnic on the floor, complete with a large stack of pancakes and a bottle of syrup. Grinning, she tugs him to the ground and they sit facing each other as they fork bites of pancake into their mouths.

"These are so good," he sighs contently as he shovels in the last of his stack, "I've missed home cooked food."

"I figured," she laughs, setting down her empty plate. "I thought you'd appreciate this."

"You're the best," he remarks with a full mouth.

She watches him finish off the last of his meal, a small smile tugging at her lips before she whispers, "I was worried about you."

"Why?" he asks, swallowing his food and furrowing his brow.

She shrugs. "Because that's what I do. I worry. And since I wasn't with you, I worried."

"There was no need," he laughs, hoping it will make her do the same, "I came back in one piece."

"That's true," she says, finally smiling, "Though I'm sure you and Dez participated in your fair share of shenanigans."

"Yep!" his eyes light up, "Like the time we got our bus driver pulled over by the cops."

He tells her about the crazy pranks he and Dez pulled while on the road and how they managed to find themselves in the most insane situations. Before he knows it, they're lying on the blanket, facing each other as they laugh hysterically.

As he watches her throw her head back, squint her eyes, and chuckle, he marvels at the easiness of their relationship. No conversation is ever too awkward. One of the things he likes most about Ally is that he can tell her anything without fear of being judged. She knows him better than anyone and she likes him despite his flaws.

Before he met her, he could never imagine having that kind of connection with anyone besides his best friend. But he supposes Ally has become one of his best friends, and that friendship is the cornerstone of their relationship: it's what keeps them strong because they know the other will support them unconditionally.

He figures he's half in love with her already and the other half isn't far behind. And he's strangely ok with that fact.

"Come here," he whispers when she catches him staring. He lies down fully and extends an arm and she snuggles into his side, resting her head in the crook of his shoulder and scratching his stomach lightly with the pads of his fingers.

"You know what's weird?" she whispers, dragging her fingers over his shirt.

"What?"

"I worry about everything."

"I know," he laughs because he remembers the time she made him take an umbrella and a raincoat when there was one measly cloud in the sky.

"But I'm not worried about us," she tilts her chin upwards to look at him. "Somehow, I know we'll be just fine."

The corners of his mouth lift into a smile and he leans down to kiss her lips softly in agreement.

Although perhaps he should, he has no concerns about his relationship with Ally. They've seen the best and worst of each other and despite those differences, they still managed to remain best friends. Who said that logic couldn't be applied to a romantic relationship as well?

"Me neither," he smiles, kissing her one more time, enjoying the way her lips curved into a smile as she kissed him back. Sighing contently when he pulls away, he tightens his arm around her and pulls her into his side, rubbing his palm gently up and down her side.

"Hey, Austin?" she murmurs sleepily.

He hums in response because the warmth of her body is causing him to become tired.

"Welcome home."

Smiling softly, he kisses the top of her head as his eyes flutter closed. As they both drift off, he can't help but think he's the luckiest guy on the planet because he gets to fall asleep with his entire world wrapped in his arms.

* * *

Sorry that it's kind of short, but I would love reviews. :)


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